1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image capturing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A method of acquiring an image including objects in all directions has conventionally been proposed. An image including objects in all directions can be acquired by, for example, repeating shooting while rotating an image capturing apparatus held by a user through 360°. More specifically, the user can create an image including objects in all directions by combining photos acquired by this method. In this method, a time lag occurs between the photo at the start of shooting and the photo at the end of shooting.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-244511 proposes an image capturing apparatus including a plurality of image capturing apparatuses arranged so as to make a plurality of optical axes face in radial directions, a release button configured to simultaneously release the plurality of image capturing apparatuses, and a composition processing unit configured to combine a plurality of images acquired by the plurality of image capturing apparatuses. This image capturing apparatus also includes a level, and an LCD monitor capable of displaying the image of an arbitrary one of the plurality of fixed focus digital cameras. Using the level and the LCD monitor, the user can make the image capturing apparatus level while viewing the LCD monitor. The image capturing apparatus having the above-described functional arrangement can simultaneously shoot objects in all directions while keeping the image capturing apparatus level, and automatically create a panoramic image.
There also exists a method of shooting all directions in the angle of view by using a wide-field lens such as a fisheye lens facing the zenith. To keep the optical axis of the wide-field lens almost facing the zenith, the user needs to frequently adjust the tilt of the image capturing apparatus including the wide-field lens.